Treatment of Chronic Leukemias

Abstract

Chronic leukemias occur worldwide. There are two types-chronic myeloid (CML) or granulocytic and chronic lymphocytic (CLL). Their symptoms and physical signs differ from each other to some extent, as does their treatment. For this reason they will be described separately. Both types of chronic leukemia are rarer than the acute leukemias. In Western and many other populations CLL is more common than CML, but in Japan and elsewhere in the Far East CLL is very rarely encountered. The reason for this is unknown. CLL is a disease of late middle and old age and is never found in children. At least twice as many men as women have CLL. CML occurs occasionally in children and becomes more common as ages increase. This type is found slightly more often in males than in females.